LIFE & CULTURE

Stephanie Land’s Life Is Depicted In Netflix’s ‘Maid’—This Is What She’s Doing Now

The gripping true story follows her struggles as a single mother in poverty.

When Stephanie Land was in her late 20s, she was living below the poverty line trying to make ends meet while raising her young daughter. 

She had left an abusive relationship with the father of her child, and she began working as a maid across Washington and Missoula. As we all know, her story didn’t end there. 

Netflix picked up Land’s book, Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay and a Mother’s Will to Survive which she wrote after those years she spent struggling to get by while raising her daughter. 

The streaming giant’s 10-episode miniseries, titled Maid is based on her life. It ends with the main character, Alex leaving for Montana having gained full custody of her child, Maddy. 

Of course, upon reaching the end of the series viewers wondered what had happened to the real life Alex, AKA Stephanie in Montana. That very question is answered for us by the celebrated author herself. 

Here, we look at where Stephanie Land is now. 

Stephanie-land-daughter
(Credit: Twitter)

Where is Stephanie Land now?

After working as a maid and doing everything she could to create a stable life for her daughter, named Mia, Stephanie got a Pell Grant which allowed her to study at the University of Montana.

It had been a longtime dream of the single-mum, who was already a talented writer, but was forced to put that on hold when she became pregnant and raised Mia. All those years later, she finally got to return to her passion—she studied a B.A. in English and Creative Writing at the university based in Missoula. 

In 2014, she graduated and gave birth to a second daughter. Land then began freelance writing, with her earnings supporting her young family. 

Her work appeared in publications like Mamalode and Vox, and in the latter her work was noticed by an agent who helped her nab a book deal, which later became her memoir, Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay and a Mother’s Will to Survive

We all know what came next—the book became an instant hit, and was later picked up by Netflix and turned into a major screen production

Does Stephanie Land have a partner now? 

Yes, Stephanie is now happily married to her partner Tim Faust. They have a blended family consisting four children. They also have two pet dogs.

Stephanie’s story is no doubt an inspiring one given the hardships she went through, and to this day she takes nothing for granted. She continues advocating for those who are poverty stricken, particularly in the United States.

And after reading and watching her story play out in Maid, it truly does remind us of the troubling realities and support available to those living below the poverty line, particularly for single mums. 

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